SW China: drought affects 96,000

Panzhihua (CNS) -- For local residents of Panzhihua, southwest China's Sichuan Province, the 278-day regional drought has brought acute misery to the more than 4,000 who are now without drinking water and utterly dependent on government supplies. In total, 96,000 people are affected.

During March and May, the dry season is likely to trap 20,000 to 30,000 residents in a dry spell, Li Qunlin, head of Panzhihua city government, told CNS.

Renhe and Yanbian are suffering most, where most impound reservoirs have been reduced to little more than puddles, farmlands have been left unattended, and livestock released into the fields.

In Yanbian county alone, more than 10,000 residents and 12,000 mu (800 hectares) of land are affected.

The city is actively carrying out its water conservation projects and digging wells to counter the shortage.

The local meteorological office offers no good news; in the coming three months it warns of relatively high temperatures, limited rainfall and dry air.